Timer



1934- L. J. ARMSTRONG TIMER Filed Jan. 15, 1952 INVENTOR Z 60/2611'6/ .f. firms/1'01? WITNESSES ATTORNEY Mazyq Patented Feb. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES TIMER Leonard J. Armstrong, Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, N. Y.

Application January 15,

'7 Claims.

An object of the invention is to provide a timer of the type which is used in internal combustion engines, the timer having positive means for moving a contact or contacts to and from stationary contacts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a frame having contacts for moving to and from stationary contacts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable cam in an open frame carrying the movable contacts.

A further object of the invention is to mount the frame to swing relatively to the stationary contacts.

The invention further comprehends a timer having a frame with a set of contacts at each of its sides, two stationary contacts being disposed between each set of the first mentioned contacts, and means being provided for moving the frame to move the said sets of contacts to and from the stationary contacts. In the preferred construction, the stationary contacts are adjustably mounted in their supports for disposing them as desired relatively to the path of movement of the contacts on the frame.

Additional objects of the invention will appear in the following specification in which the preferred form of the invention is described.

In the drawing similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the several views, of

which Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the invention, parts being shown in section,

Figure 2 is a view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a view on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

By referring to the drawing it will be seen that a shaft 5 is journaled in a bearing 6 in a casing '7, the casing 7 having brackets 8 to which links 9 are pivoted at 10. Pivoted to the said links 9 there is an open frame 11, the open frame having side members 12 which are angular in cross section, as best illustrated in Figure 3, and

to which are secured members 13 having out- 1932. Serial No. 586,887

form flanges 17 which are secured to the cross members 18, the said cross members 18 having reinforcing members 19 and bearing surfaces 20. The links 9 are pivoted to the bearing members 16 and the side members 12 between their bent portions and their flanges 17, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing. It will, therefore, be seen that the frame 11 is an open frame and that it may rock on the links 9.

The shaft 5 has a cam 21 which is disposed in the open frame, the cam having its cam surfaces disposed for engaging the bearing surfaces 20. Preferably the cam 21 is of such a configuration that it will at all times engage the two bearing surfaces 20 and, with the rotation of the cam 21, it will serve to reciprocate the open frame 11 in a manner readily understood. As shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, the cam 21 is of equal diameter at all points across its axis. This open frame 11 is grounded by any suitable means, such as wires or conductors 22, which, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, may be used to connect the open frame with the sides of the casing 7.

Mounted at each side of the open frame, there is a support 23 which is insulated from the casing 7. Each of the supports 23 has two threaded apertures 24 in which mesh threaded members 25, the threaded members 25 having extending contacts 26 which are disposed between the contact arms 14, so that any desired adjustment of the contacts 26 relatively to the contact arms 14 may be obtained. The supports 23 have binding posts 27 which are disposed at the outer side of the casing '7, the binding posts 27, as well as the supports 23, being insulated from the casing.

Preferably the threaded apertures 24 are formed in the supports 23 which have lugs 28 which may be moved together to contract the threaded apertures 24 to bind the threaded members 25, this being accomplished by screws 29 which are disposed in threaded apertures in one of the lugs 28 and which mesh in threaded apertures in the other lug 28. It is proposed to connect the binding posts 27 with a primary circuit or circuits of the coil or coils, the current passing from the contacts 26 to the contact arms 14, thence to the open frame 11 and to the ground, the secondary coil being connected with a brush 30 mounted for rotating on the shaft beyond the cam 21, the brush 30 having an electrode 31 to pass a plurality of electrodes 32 in the customary manner to produce a jump spark to the spark plug or plugs.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a timer, a rectangular frame substantially rigid throughout, links pivoted to the respective ends of the frame for swingably supporting the same, one or more contacts at each side of the frame, stationary contacts positioned between the contacts carried by the frame for cooperating with the first mentioned contacts, and a. substantially triangular shaped cam continually engaging the ends of the frame for reciprocating the frame longitudinally.

2. In a timer, a movable frame rigid throughout, means for mounting said frame to give the same parallel motion when actuated, one or more contacts at each side of the frame, threaded supports at the sides of the frame, longitudinally adjustable threaded members meshing in the threaded supports and having contacts for engagement by the first mentioned contacts said threaded members being independently adjustable toward and from the respective contacts carried by the frame, and a rotatable cam for actuating said frame.

3.In a timer, a rigid open frame having side members with substantially rigid contact arms extending outwardly adjacent each end of each side member, cross members connecting the side members adjacent their ends, the side members extending beyond the cross members to form bearings and being also secured to the cross members, links pivoted to the bearings a bearing plate carried by each of said cross members, a substantially triangular shaped cam continually engaging said bearing plate for rotating in the open frame for reciprocating the latter approximately at right angles to the axis of the cam, and two stationary contacts at each side of the open frame for engagement by the contact arms.

4. In a timer, an open frame having side memhere with contact arms extending outwardly adiacent each end of each side member, cross members connecting the side members adjacent their ends, the side members extending beyond the cross members to form bearings and being also secured to the cross members, links pivoted to the bearings, a cam for rotating in the open frame for reciprocating the latter, two stationary contact: at each side of the open frame for engagement by the contact arms, and means for the adjustment of the stationary contacts relatively to the path of movement of the contact arms.

5. In a timer, an open reciprocating frame rigid throughout having a contact at each end, a stationary contact cooperating with the first mentioned contacts, all of said contacts and their supports being substantially nonresilient, and a rotatable cam having a plurality of primary zones on a certain radius and a plurality of secondary zones at less radius, said cam being disposed within the open frame and having at all times engagement with the opposite ends of said frame during its rotation, the arrangement of the various zones causing the frame to be reciprocated positively when the cam rotates and thus moves the contacts carried by the frame into and out of engagement with the stationary contacts.

6. In a timer, an open rigid frame reciprocating as a unit with all parts moving the same distance, said frame having an inelastic contact arm at each end, stationary inelastic contacts at each end at the sides of the cam cooperating with the first mentioned contact arm, and a rotatable cam having a plurality of peripheral zones at different distances from the center of the cam, said cam being disposed within the open frame and having at all times engagement with the opposite ends of the frame, whereby the cam when operated gives the said frame and contacts carried thereby a positive movement into and out of engagement with the other contacts.

7. In a timer, a rectangular reciprocating frame rigid throughout, a contact at each side at each end of the frame, each of said contacts being substantially nonresilient, a stationary sub stantially nonresilient contact for each of the first mentioned contacts cooperating therewith, a rotatable cam having a plurality of zones the same distance from the center of the cam and a second plurality of zones the same distance from the center of the cam but a less distance than the first mentioned zones, said cam being positioned within said frame and continually engaging the ends thereof for reciprocating the frame when the cam is rotated, the cam moving bodily with its contacts so that when in one extreme position one set of contacts carried by the frame will engage one set of stationary contacts, and when moved to the opposite position the other set of contacts carried by the frame will engage the other set of stationary contacts.

LEONARD J. ARMSTRONG. 

